Puzzle vs. Maze: Rethinking Autism Awareness Logo

The autism awareness movement’s logo is an incomplete puzzle needing a piece to complete it. However, a new image representing autism, a maze, has emerged and more closely represents the reality of the experience of autism. The neurodiversity movement disagrees with the narrative that something is missing or wrong with them. This idea implies there is a missing piece to them instead of being seen whole as they are.

The image of the “maze” ( Adam Evan.designs) illustrates many alternate paths a person with autism takes to get to where they want or need to go. Variations in sensory processing, social functioning, speech, behavior patterns and cognitive processing are common for people on the autism spectrum and create alternate ways of making decisions about how to execute behaviors. How tasks are completed or how experiences are navigated through vary from person to person.

Everyone travels their own unique path to where they want or need to go. Diversity can make the journey interesting, challenging and individualized.

In the 1990’s the number of children diagnosed with autism exploded. Families and schools were overwhelmed and had more questions than answers about how to manage and understand the wide ranging variations in the functional domains of autistic children. The emotional experience of teachers and therapists feeling “puzzled” was common when trying to understand why autistics behaved, communicated and related to others so differently from the general population. The concept of the puzzle seemed fitting in the nineties when “fixing” the differences to solve “the problems” drove clinical treatments and educational interventions.

The missing puzzle piece does not reflect the view many autistic people have of themselves. Many people on the spectrum feel their differences are judged and misunderstood by members of the psychological, medical communities and the general population. As a visual, the puzzle image communicates being incomplete, not whole. Clinical studies have shown differences in the structure of certain regions of the brain in some people with autism. However, after decades of inconsistent research findings, the focus has become more on acceptance of neurodiversity as a variation in functioning and not a dysfunction in need of “fixing.” For autistics whose functional domains are severely malfunctioning, therapies or medications are helpful and sometimes necessary to address safety issues and increase the person’s ability to access curriculum or connect with people. However, these interventions must not seek to create an autistic person in the image of someone else. They must aim to help a person manage certain behaviors, so they can be the most of who they are. The idea of the “maze” with a variety of paths towards an exit point represents a more accurate depiction of the unique experience of an autistic person’s journey towards a desired destination.

The cry for a cure has quieted. Over the last 25 years, the focus on curing has shifted to managing, understanding, and accepting differences. The self-determination movement led by people with high-functioning autism explains that neuro-diversity should not be seen as a disorder or a way of being that must be changed to fit the patterns of neurotypical functioning. People on the autism spectrum whose cognitive abilities are within the normal range and who function at a high level in their careers and other areas of life find the concept of “curing” autism insulting and ill-informed. More and more adults are being diagnosed later in life with high-functioning autism. They are steering the general population towards a better understanding of autism as a difference, not a disease. This shift in thinking is more challenging for parents of profoundly autistic children because the neurological differences can cause safety concerns and limit the possibility of their children meeting their capacities. Specific life experiences, such as marriage, driving, college, and career achievement, are often not possible for some autistics. For these individuals getting support to achieve self-actualization is the goal. For parents of children and adults with significantly restricted functioning, there will be a mourning period. Acceptance will eventually come and the life of their child will emerge filled with purpose and happiness.

Actors Anthony Hopkins, Darryl Hannah, and Dan Ackroyd all have been diagnosed with high-functioning autism, formerly known as Aspergers Disorder. Other famous people rumored to be on the autism spectrum are Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sir Issac Newton, and Albert Einstein. It is not uncommon for high-functioning autistics to have exceptional talents and skills. However, people with ASD whose speech, cognition, social functioning, and sensory processing are more profoundly affected benefit from advocacy services, therapies, and structured programs to aid in the development of more capacity and to function more independently. The goal of interventions should be to help each child or adult develop a personalized roadmap that incorporates the way they see, understand, and feel the world around them. An accepting mindset towards autistic individuals who manifest more atypical, aggressive, or challenging behaviors shows compassion and support of their journey’s uniqueness. Life is a maze for everyone as we all have our strengths, weaknesses, and different ways of navigating through the challenges inherent in living our lives.

 

 

 

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